(AUGUSTA, GA)- On Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12 Noon, former head football coach of South Carolina State University and hall of famer Willie Jefferies will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2nd Annual Paine College Athletic Director’s Luncheon. The luncheon will take place in the Warren A. Candler Memorial Library Building on the campus of Paine College.

Willie Jeffries, a native of Union, South Carolina, earned his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master’s degree in guidance and counseling from South Carolina State University. Additionally, he studied at Indiana University.

Jeffries’ coaching career began in 1960 as assistant coach at Barr Street High School in Lancaster, SC. A head coaching position followed in 1961 at Granard High School in Gaffney, SC where he compiled a six-year 65-7-2 mark, and won three (1964-1966) consecutive state AAA championships.

He began his first tenure at SCSU in 1973, completing an impressive 50-13-4 record in six seasons. Following a hiatus from SCSU, 1978-1989, Jeffries returned to begin his second tenure which spanned 13 years. Jeffries also earned a national title and made three Heritage Bowl appearances after returning to Orangeburg in 1989. During his remarkable 29-year collegiate head-coaching career, which included five-year stints each at Wichita State, where he became the first African-American head football coach of a Division I-A program and Howard University, Jeffries compiled a 179-132-6 record. This record included six Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships, two national titles, several post-season appearances, and numerous coaching awards. Jeffries also produced a number of players who have distinguished themselves in professional football and other professions as well.

Jeffries left SCSU in 2001, with a winning season. He later became the director of athletic fund-raising at SCSU where he stayed until January 2005 when he accepted the athletic director position at Grambling State University.

During and after his outstanding career he received several honors. He was inducted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He is also a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Hall of Fame. He has also received numerous honors for his community service including the Order of the Silver Crescent, South Carolina’s highest award for outstanding community service, the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award. A scholarship fund and endowment have been established in his name at SCSU. During the 2002 school year, he was honored by the Black Coaches’ Association (BCA) with a lifetime achievement award and inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame.

He is a member of several coaching, professional and civic organizations, including the American Football Coaches Association, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and NCAA Football Rules Committee.

Jeffries remains a committed ambassador for SCSU, the Orangeburg community, South Carolina and the nation.